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DALLAS — Zack Kassian is starting to find his legs with the Edmonton Oilers.

After missing the first three months of the season due to his time in the NHL’s substance abuse program, then having a short stint in the minors with the Bakersfield Condors, it was always going to take some time for him to get up to speed.

On Tuesday, Kassian played his best game with the Oilers, scoring a goal, registering a team-high four hits and proving to be a thorn in the side of the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 6-4 loss.

“Zack is a pretty honest player, that’s the one thing I’ve figured out in his three or four games with us,” said Oilers head coach Todd McLellan. “He wants to do things well, he wants to do thing right. His power game, his ability to power through people is important. It was nice to see him get rewarded with a goal (Tuesday). As time goes on here, I can see myself and the coaching staff trusting him more and more.”

With Ryan Nugent-Hopkins out due to a hand injury and Connor McDavid still not ready to return from a fractured collarbone, the Oilers are in dire need of other offensive resources.

They wrap up a three-game road trip against the Dallas Stars (6:30 p.m., SNW) on Thursday.

“Just like Tampa, Dallas has a lot of firepower,” Kassian said. “If we take care of our end and make good, strong plays, I think we showed tonight that we can play with the best of them.”

Prior to having his career temporarily derailed, Kassian, 24, displayed good offensive abilities while with the Vancouver Canucks and spent time on their top line along Daniel and Henrik Sedin.

Kassian scored 14 goals and collected 29 points in 73 games with the Canucks in the 2013-2014 season.

After falling out of favour with the Montreal Canadiens, the Oilers took a gamble on the six-foot-three, 217-pound winger, hoping he can regain that form. They are willing to be patient with Kassian as he gets his career, and more importantly, his life, back on track.

“He’s had a whirlwind tour since he’s been called up,” McLellan said. “Our whole team has been through a lot of hockey and a lot of travel over the last week. Yet I think he held his own for the most part. He managed his game well. Would I say he was an effective player for our team (Tuesday)? Absolutely.”

Kassian scored the Oilers’ first goal in the loss to the Lightning, going to the net and banging a rebound past goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.

“It felt good to score,” Kassian said following the game. “It felt good, but it would have been a lot nicer if we could have squeezed one out. We battled back a few times and these are tough ones to lose.”

The Oilers were able to tie the game 4-4 with two goals in the third period before a bad decision by goaltender Anders Nilsson resulted in the winning goal for the Lightning.

Regardless, Kassian along with Iiro Pakarinen and Mark Letestu proved to be the Oilers’ most effective line on the night.

“I feel good. It’s just a matter of making smart plays and continuing to do what I’m doing,” Kassian said. “I still get a little winded but that’s hockey, when you work hard you’re going to be winded sometimes, even when you are in shape.”

As his game conditioning returns, Kassian hopes to become the type of player the Oilers have been lacking for the past number of seasons.

Along with chipping in offensively, he can get under the opponent’s skin. On Tuesday, he irritated Steven Stamkos to the point where the Lightning star took a tripping penalty on him with a slew foot in the second period.

“It was most definitely a slew foot,” Kassian said. “There is the emotion to the game and it is what it is. It’s an emotional game out there, there are no hard feelings. That’s him trying to play hard. He might have crossed the line a bit.”

derek.vandiest@sunmedia.ca

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As Advertised in the Edmonton SUN

Edmonton Oilers' Kassian turning into the player team needs him to be

DALLAS — Zack Kassian is starting to find his legs with the Edmonton Oilers.

After missing the first three months of the season due to his time in the NHL’s substance abuse program, then having a short stint in the minors with the Bakersfield Condors, it was always going to take some time for him to get up to speed.

On Tuesday, Kassian played his best game with the Oilers, scoring a goal, registering a team-high four hits and proving to be a thorn in the side of the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 6-4 loss.

“Zack is a pretty honest player, that’s the one thing I’ve figured out in his three or four games with us,” said Oilers head coach Todd McLellan. “He wants to do things well, he wants to do thing right. His power game, his ability to power through people is important. It was nice to see him get rewarded with a goal (Tuesday). As time goes on here, I can see myself and the coaching staff trusting him more and more.”